


The Sun Will Rise

by rilakumabear



Category: Actor RPF, The Hobbit RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 16:21:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8540005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rilakumabear/pseuds/rilakumabear
Summary: Life has been kinda shitty these days, so have some Richlee fluff~(unbetaed, please excuse the many mistakes. I will return to correct them... eventually...)





	

Even before he opens his eyes, Lee can feel the deep ache of his muscles. He whines a little, needing to stretch out but also being too tired to do so. The familiar heavy weight of Carl pressing down on his chest isn’t helping either. There’s also a spot of warmth by his feet- not to mention a soft muzzle resting on his ankle that must be Pete, whose tail is wagging even in his sleep. Then after that, a fuzzy warmth lays right on top of his head, the comforting purring sound from Freddie vibrating right through his skull. Lee sighs, not having the heart to move any of his furry companions. He cracks open an eye and spots his favourite sleeping partner across the mattress, his smile immediately widening.

“Morning,” Rich rumbles, his voice coming out low and raspy with sleep.

“How long were you watching me for?” Lee asks. Richard smiles and slinks an arm under Carl and around Lee’s waist.

“Not long enough,” he replies. “How are you feeling?”

Lee thinks. “Kinda achy. But not too bad, all things considered.”

Richard clucks his tongue in concern. “I’m so proud of you, though. Running a marathon is no easy task.” He gently nudges Carl, allowing the old dog to flop onto his back between them so Lee can stretch out. It’s still a bit cramped.

“I think we need a bigger bed if we’re all to fit here properly,” Lee says as he tries to extract a clingy Freddie from around his head like a stubborn hat.

“We already have a king size bed,” Richard reminds him. He pries off the cat, settling him on top of Carl, who wags his tail happily. “I think that’s the biggest size…”

“Maybe we can get an Emperor sized mattress, if that even exists,” Lee ponders aloud. “Or two Kings and push them together,” he chuckles at that. “Fit for Thorin and Thranduil!”

“So furniture shopping this weekend, got it,” Richard laughs. “You want breakfast yet?”

“Maybe later,” Lee murmurs. Truthfully, he’s starving, but he doesn’t want to leave this blissful moment just yet. “Are you working today?”

“Nope,” Rich grins. “Which means you can get up for a shower, I’ll make you breakfast, and we can spend the rest of the day snuggling in bed. How does that sound?”

“Like Heaven,” Lee groans. Of course Richard would know he wanted nothing more. Then he groans again, but this time it’s because his muscles are aching deeply as his tries to stretch. He looks up, to see Richard observing him with a sombre stare.

“Take your shirt off.”

“Huh?”

“Shirt,” Richard repeats, “Off.”

“Richard,” Lee squirms. “You know I love you, and I love being in bed with you but- I’m seriously tired from the marathon- I don’t think I can-”

“No, silly,” Richard laughs. “I don’t want sex, I’m going to give you a massage.”

Lee blinks. “Oh, thank God.” He blushes as he pulls off his sleep tee, tossing it to the floor.

“You know Pete’s going to chew that up if you leave it there,” Richard warns. He pulls a bottle of oil from their bedside drawer and warms some between his palms.

“It’s okay,” Lee mumbles into his pillow as Richard straddles his thighs across his butt. “Carl will teach him not to.”

“You mean we need to take some time to train him properly,” Richard replies with a chuckle.

“That too,” Lee says, but his words trail off into a long moan as Richard presses his fingers into the deep knot of his shoulders. “Oh my God, that feels amazing.”

“Your muscles are like a rock,” Richard tuts. “Didn’t you stretch after finishing the race?”

“I think I was too excited about finishing at all,” Lee mumbles in reply. Richard laughs a little, but resumes his quiet massage, slowly but surely working through the tense muscles. He pauses for a moment to let out their whining pets, listening to their scampering footsteps on the floorboards in the hallway. Inside their home, the November chill is kept at bay, and the sun streams through the window, bathing them in pleasant warmth. Lee sighs in contentment, almost sinking through the mattress in his relaxed state. Richard taps his lightly on his arm.

“Legs, too?”

“Yes, please,” Lee mumbles, allowing his partner to gently roll him over. He sighs happily as Richard works through the muscles of his legs thoroughly and precisely. When he’s done, Richard wipes off the heat-thinned oil from his hands with a tissue.

“Feel better?”

“Yeah,” Lee sighs contentedly, feeling utterly spoilt. “Thank you.” He’s tempted to fall asleep again, but Richard is ushering him out of bed.

“If you sleep again, that means less time we can spend together,” Richard reminds him. “I’ll get you some breakfast.”

“What did I do to deserve you,” Lee grins like a sap, but he doesn’t care. Richard shrugs, but his ears are bright pink- evn after all these years, he’s just as bashful as the day they met.

“Might be time to send Pete and Fran and Philippa another bouquet of flowers,” Lee muses as Richard laughs.

After a gentle massage and a hot shower, Lee’s feeling pretty great. He heads down to the kitchen, finding a stack of pancakes and a plate of fresh fruit waiting for him. Richard is humming as he flips a few more pancakes, the dogs waiting patiently at his feet, ready for any falling scraps of food. Lee tiptoes behind Rich, wrapping him in a huge hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Lee presses kisses all over his neck and jaw.

“You’re welcome,” Rich turns his head to meet him for a kiss. “Eat up.”

“We’re out of syrup,” Lee stares into their cupboard sadly.

“We have jam,” Richard tells him. “Or honey?”

“It’s not the same,” Lee takes the honey, widening his puppy eyes comically.

“Food shopping along with bed shopping at the weekend, got it,” Richard rolls his eyes. “I fear I’m spoiling you too much.”

“Nonsense,” Lee beams, spraying a giant blob of whipped cream onto his pancakes. When Rich has his back turned, he picks up some of it with his fingers and lets the dogs lick it off.

After Richard’s finished cooking, he sets down his plate across from Lee and tucks in. Unlike Lee, Richard doesn’t have as big of a sweet tooth, but Lee knew him to be partial to a good dark chocolate.

“I know I promised we could spend the rest of the day in bed, but your parents called,” Richard tells him. “Your whole family decided to come over for lunch. Which probably means they’ll stay for dinner, too.”

Lee laughs. His love for his family was infinite and he’s happy they know him well enough to just show up with barely any notice. Even better, Richard is totally fine with it too.

“I was going to say we don’t have any food in the fridge, but knowing Mom, she’s bringing an entire car trunk full of food anyway,” Lee says with a grin.

“God I can’t wait for Thanksgiving,” Richard sighs in bliss. “I dream about your mum’s turkey every night! I can’t believe I’ve spent most of my life eating dry roasts when I’ve been missing out on deep fried Texan style turkey…”

“You don’t dream about me?” Lee asks in mock offense.

“Why would I need to when you’re in my arms every night?” Richard retorts sweetly. Lee bursts into laughter.

“Alright, that was pretty smooth, Armitage,” he admits. “I’ll forgive you.”

They laugh again, enjoying their leisurely breakfast in between conversations about nothing very much at all. By the time they finish, it’s not too far from lunch time, and they have just enough time to pop out for a quick walk with the dogs.

The weather was getting a little chilly now, but the scenery is still beautiful as it always was. Fall was by far Lee’s favourite season. He’s always loved the changing colours, the warm comforting meals and hot chocolate and spiced apple pies his mom makes. And Halloween! He and Rich didn’t have much time this year to ready costumes, but they still had fun.

Carl and Pete are having a great time diving into giant piles of fallen leaves. One of the golden leaves sticks to Carl’s head, and Lee takes a few pictures of the silly sight. The whole time, he links his fingers with Richards’, swinging their arms back and forth gently.

They pause by a small lake in the woods, taking in the picturesque sight. Pete splashes into the water without a second thought, only to yelp in surprise at the shock of cold water. He darts out immediately, shaking his fur, then runs away to chase after Carl. Their humans shake their heads at his silly antics.

“You know, it’s nice to come out without having to train for once,” Lee muses aloud. “I mean, I don’t regret running the marathon, but it’s nice to slow down once in a while. This time, it’s literal!”

“You were amazing,” Rich murmurs. He looks at him with a soft gaze, and it’s so full of plain adoration that Lee ducks his head, suddenly feeling bashful. “I’m so sorry I only managed to catch a glimpse of you.”

“You were with me in spirit,” Lee beams. “Besides you made the dinner.”

“I caught dessert,” Richard sighs. He looks guilty, and Lee squeezes his hand.

“You know I don’t mind,” Lee says softly. He steps closer, until he’s bumping the tip of his nose against Richard’s. He refuses to move until Richard nods, a tentative smile breaking across his face. Reassured, he leans forward, and Lee closes the gap so they can kiss. It’s sweet and unhurried, and Lee reluctantly breaks away as they come up for air.

“Let’s head back,” Richard murmurs. “We need to dry off Pete before your family gets here.”

As it turns out, Lee’s family is just pulling up as they reach home. There’s a great deal of waving and hugging and smiling before they all make it inside the house, laden with heaps of food that Lee’s mother had brought with her as usual.

Like always, the house is suddenly ten times more noisy and chaotic when they’re all inside, but Lee doesn’t mind at all, enjoying the company. It always warmed his heart to see his family, not to mention Richard happily chatting away with them. The other man was naturally shy, and it had taken a while for him to really relax around his family, especially his parents, as warm and welcoming as they were.

There’s a bit of drama when Lee’s mom accidentally drops a box of eggs all over Carl, who panics and tries to run away, only to slip on the slimy yolks and frighten Freddie, who yowls and tries to escape through the window, right over Lee’s nephew, who has the misfortune of being in his way. Then to add to the cacophony, Sally tries to pry the frightened cat off her son, who begins crying loudly, triggering Pete to start barking wildly. By the time everything’s more or less settled, the kitchen is such a disaster zone that Lee’s dad immediately cordons off the area so the clean-up can begin. They find themselves splitting off into teams naturally: Sally and Will take their mom and the kids into the living room to calm down, whilst her husband and father clean up the kitchen. Richard hauls off the dogs to wash up (again), leaving Lee to collect more eggs from the chicken coop outside. Shaking his head at the crazy, lovely mess that is his family, Lee finds a sulking Freddie sat inside an old flowerpot in the garden.

“Poor boy,” Lee bends to scratch behind his ears. “Carl really scared you, didn’t he?”

Freddie glares at him, but grumpily allows the petting to continue.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, you know he didn’t mean it,” Lee tuts. “You’re just embarrassed about your reaction, right?”

Freddie mewls.

“Fine, I won’t tell anyone. Not even Rich. Our little secret!”

Satisfied with this compromise, Freddie hops out of the flowerpot and follows him to the coop. The grumpy cat wasn’t particularly fond of the chickens, but still liked to observe them from a distance. Lee supposed he felt rather intimidated yet curious about the birds that were his size, nothing like the tiny woodland featherlings he likes to catch (and delightfully deposit at their feet).

“Hello, ladies,” Lee greets the chickens. They flurry around his feet, hoping for a few snacks. “Sorry, not today. I need a few eggs, if that’s alright.”

He almost told them the story of Mom dropping the eggs before, but reconsidered it. Surely that was, at the very least, impolite, not to mention morbid! He opens the latch to the raised compartments where they slept at night. Arwen, the black-feathered chicken, is still snuggled in the hay, and grumpily pecks him lightly as he gently lifts her to check for eggs.

“If you peck me again, I’ll tell Galadriel,” Lee warns. The blond chicken was most definitely the ruler of this roost. Arwen settles immediately, even if her feathers are still ruffling in protest. It’s then, of course, that Lee realises he hasn’t bought a basket, so he has to lift the hem of his shirt and balance the eggs there instead. Finished with his task, he bids goodbye to the rest of the chickens (Tauriel, the red-feathered bird, and Eowyn, the calmest of the bunch).

By the time he gets back, everything (and everyone) is back in place. Just like Richard had expected, everyone ends up staying for dinner, not that they mind at all, really. After dessert (Sally’s famous apple pie, plus a giant tub of sweet vanilla ice cream- Will’s contribution), the kids fall asleep in front of the television, and the adults retire back to the kitchen, chatting over mugs of coffee and tea. Lee takes a seat next to Richard, who smiles at him immediately, and drapes an arm around his shoulders, as Lee places his hand on his thigh. The evening passes slowly, the leisurely pace so pleasant that Lee’s loathe for it to end at all. But eventually, Sally is the first to go, she and her husband carrying the sleeping children to their car. Soon after, Lee’s parents leave too, hitching a lift in Will’s car.

“Thanks for coming, mom,” Lee kisses his mother’s cheek. “Thanks for all the food! We’re going to get so fat.”

“Well, I worry you boys don’t eat enough,” she shakes her head. “What with Richard always working and you training for the marathon…”

“We really appreciate the gesture though,” Richard smiles, giving her a hug. “Come visit us soon again! You know you’re welcome all the time.”

“Bye, dad,” Lee hugs his father. “Love you guys.” Lastly, he hugs his brother. “Take care on the drive home. We’ll see you next time.”

Will grins at him, as Richards says goodbye to his parents. “Bye.”

Lee stares. “What’s with that face?”

“Nothing,” Will tries to turn away, but Lee shoves him playfully.

“C’mon, what?”

“It’s just,” Will gestures vaguely. “You and Rich saying 'we' all the time. Like you’re a package deal or something. It’s pretty cute.”

“Oh,” Lee blinks. He’s never noticed that before. “It just feels natural.”

Will nods. “It feels natural to me, as well.” He punches Lee’s arm lightly. “I really like him, okay? I mean, it’ll be nice to have him as a brother, if you know what I mean. It’s been, what, five years already?”

“Something like that,” Lee replies with a smile. Although he already knew it, hearing his brother’s approval was still heartening. “Drive carefully, alright? Don’t total the car.”

“That was ONE time,” Will rolls his years. “Like two decades ago, sheesh!”

With a laugh, Lee waves them off, suddenly acutely aware of how Richard slips into his side, a warm hand placed on the small of his back.

“What a lovely day,” Richard sighs happily as they close the door. “Bed?”

“Sounds good,” Lee replies. “You know it’s only 10, right? We’re getting old!”

“I’m already old,” Richard laughs as they brush their teeth side by side. “You have some catching up to do.”

They clamber into bed, rearranging the various animals so they can snuggle in the middle.

“I’m sorry I didn’t to spend some more one-on-one time with you today,” Ricard murmurs. “Even if today was wonderful.”

“That’s alright,” Lee smiles, thinking back on Will’s earlier words. “I mean, we have the rest of our lives, right?”

Richard stills. “You really want that?”

“Yes,” Lee replies honestly, staring into Richard’s wide eyes. “Does that surprise you?”

“No, I just,” Richard stammers. “It’s just different to hear it.”

“We’ve kinda talked about it before,” Lee points out. “I mean, neither of us got into this relationship to fool around, right?”

“That’s true.”

“And… you feel the same, right?”

“Of course!” Richard replies instantly. “I mean, I always though working on The Hobbit would be the greatest moment of my life but… to be honest, it totally pales in comparison to you.”

“Isn’t it the same? I mean, we met on set…”

“Yes and no,” Richard reaches out and cups his face. “Sure, we first met there, but that in itself is a wonderful moment. I didn’t know it then, but it was the best thing to happen to me. I mean that.”

“I believe you,” Lee smiles. “Will was saying earlier it’s already been about five years.” He trails off, uncertain. “I mean, is this something we want now, though?”

“There’s no need to rush,” Richard murmurs. “How about we just does things at our pace, and when we feel ready, we can start planning our wedding?”

“Our wedding,” Lee repeats blissfully. “We’ll be _husbands_ , Rich.”

“Yes, we will, my love,” Richard smiles. They kiss, quick and uncomplicated.

“I don’t really want this day to end,” Lee frowns suddenly. “It’s been so amazing, I almost feel like every other day won’t quite compare.”

“That’s not true,” Richard replies. “I mean, sure there’s going to be bad days that follow. But there’ll be a lot of good days too. And then there’ll be great days. And for all of them, we’ll be together.”

“Yes,” Lee snuggles closer. “You’re right.”

“And if there are some days that are really bad,” Richard adds quietly. In the dim light, his face is softened, and his voice is low and smoky. “You only have to remember that the sun will always rise in the morning.”

Under the blankets, they hold hands as the night draws to a close, and makes way for tomorrow.

Fin~

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know 2016 has been pretty awful, and in light of recent events things might feel a little hopeless. And I know it's not quite my place to say this but please know things can and will get better. At the end of the day this is just a hastily written bit of silly fic, but it's about two people who make me very happy, so I hope in some small way this makes you happy, too. Sorry if that's pretentious. 
> 
> Thank you for reading ♥


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